Door-controlling means for elevator shafts



Jan. 27, 1925. 1,524,209

H. e. MUTSCHLER DOOR CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ELEVATOR SHA FTS Filed March20, 1924 2 Shook-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 1 1 izenry 5. Muzsc/1Zer- BY VZW H15ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 27, I925 1,524,200

' H. G. MUTSCHLER DUOR CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTS Filed March20, 1924 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

y 115 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 27, 1925,.

UNITED STATES 1,524,20tl PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. MUTSCI-ILER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR- TO A. & H. G.

MUTSCHLER, INC., A CORPGRATION OF NEW YORK.

DOOR-CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ELEVATGR SHAFTS.

Application filed March 20, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. MUrsoHLnn, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDoor-Controlling Means for Elevator Shafts, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to door controlling means for elevatorshafts, and an object thereof is to provide a controlling means which ispositive in action and durable in use, while, at the same time, beingsimple in construction. Another object of the invention is to provide adoor controlling means in which there is provided a detaining device forholding the door open and a locking device for preventing the completeopening of the door, both of such devices being controlled by a commonmem her which in turn is controlled by the elevator moving in the shaft.Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which willpermit the door to open a small is away from the floor, which willpermit the door to be opened from the outside or the inside when the caris at the floor, which will permit the door to be opened from the insideonly when the car is away from the floor, which will permit the doorautomatically to close and look as the car leaves the floor and whichwill permit the door to be automatically detained in its open positionwithout possibility of release when the car is at the floor.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts andcombinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter described; thenovel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the shaft with the door in closedposition and the r elevator in a position away from the floor;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the shaft showing the position of thelocking device and detaining device when the door is closedand theelevator in position at the floor; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the door showing the abutments on theinner face thereof.

The elevator shaft of which only a fragment 1 is shown has a number ofdoor open- Serial No. 700,722.

ings 2 adapted to be closed by doors 3 which have a normal tendency tomove to closed position, this result, in this instance, being effectiveby mounting the doors to travel on inclined tracks 4. An elevator 5moves up and down in the shaft. Each door is provided on its inner facewith an abutment block 6. The block 6 which is provided with an abutment6 has a bevelled face 6". The abutment 6 of this block is adapted to beengaged by a locking device to be hereinafter more particularlydescribed and is so s'tuated that the door may be opened a few inchesfrom the outside for the purpose of permitting one to reach into theelevator shaft in order to operate the controlling rope of the elevatorto bring the elevator to the floor without at the same time permittingthe operation of the locking device.

The locking device, in this instance, is in the form of a bell cranklever 8 pivoted at 8 to that face of the door frame farthest removedfrom the vertical edge of the door adjacent the portion which opensfirst. One end of this bell crank lever cooperates with the abutmentblock 6. When the locking device is in looking position and the door isopen,-this end of the locking lever 8 will. cooperate with the bevelledface 6 and shift the locking device on its pivot 8 as the door moves toclosed position so that the locking device will ride over the plate 6until it passes behind the abutment 6*.

Operation of the locking device may be effected by a controlling memberin the form of a lever pivoted at 9 and extending upwardly from itspivot being provided with two converging bevelled portions 10 and 11 onopposite sides of the straight portion 12, the bevelled portion 10 beingbelow the floor portion and the bevelled portion 11 being above thefloor portion while the straight portion is opposite the floor. Thislever at its upper end may be connected by apin and slot connection 1%to a bell crank lever 8. As the elevator moves upwardly, it engages thebevelled portion 10 to move the lever inwardly and as the elevator movesdownwardly, it engages the bevelled portion 11 to move the leverinwardly. The straight portion 12 is engaged when the elevator isopposite the floor and holds the lever in its inward position. Outwardmovement of the lever may be effected by a spring 15 which is anchoredat 16 to the door casing and bears against. ,the projection 17 von thelever. .It isapparent} that, aften thedever moves inwardly, the lock ismoved upwardly away from locking-position and as the lever movesoutwardly,'the lock is moved downwardly to locking position.

In order to hold thedoorin open position against closing, a lockingdevice may be provided preferably in t he formof a lever 18 pivoted at19 to the controlling lever between; its endsandhaving one end connectedto. a helical spring-=20 which at 21 isconnected to afixed point, on.the-.door casing. 'nThgis arrangement causes, the detainingdevice 18 tolie outof detainin-gnposition ,when; the controllingleven lies in itsoutermost position, but, when the controllingfimemheiy is. movedinwardly, thenpivot 19.,of this leveris shifted in suchpaavay as toplace, thespring 20 under tension and in this, way; throw the detaining,end ott he lever, upwardly and toward the door into the path. ofanabutment 7, 011a, plate; 7 whicli is,,secured to the inner face of thedoor nearer :thatedge thereof which is the first-to open the doo1.'.Thisplate 7 is bevelled, at:7 .so @that the door may be opened afterthegdetaining member is shifted todetiming position.

Theoperation ,ofmthe invention. will. be understood from theyforegoing,butitsmay be. summar-izedns follows: After the. ele vator 5-reazches thefloor?) from either direction itnengages one of. the bevelled, portio-ns10.,01: 11 {and thereafterrides on the straightrportion 12. This .moves,the, controlling member inwardly against the action otthe-spring 15 andsh-ifts :the locking memher;8*hpwardly,out 0f thepathof the abutment 6".so that the door is. unlocked. At the. same .time,ithedetai1iing,,member18 is swung upwardly into thepathof {the-plate l. The doorisithenropened, and thebevelled port-ion?ofthe-p-late 7cooperateswith-the detaining member 18.and,;sh;i.fts the latter untilith'e abutment 7 ispassed, after which the :detainingmember swings infront of said: abutment and holdsthe door in. open position. eShould itbe desired to close the door, while-the elevator is. a-t.a floor, thenthe detaining member 18 is :moved downwardly byhand to free the door andpermit it to movewunder theaction of gravity to. closedposition.Assuming, l1OWQVG1,tlilt the .-,do or remainsopen until the. elevatoizfimovesofi' the straight portion 12in either direction, then the spring15, will shift the controlling member, thusmoving thedetai-ningnnember18 downwardly freeing the door tOylZllG. action ofgravity and at the same time movingthe locking member 8 downwardly. Thelocking member yields under the. action of bevel" face 6 asthe doorcloses, and. then, springs in the path of :the

- abutment6 ,.which when. the-door is closed member or rope of theelevator.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided aconstruction which will permit the door of an elevator shaft to open asmall amount when the car is away from the floor for the purpose ofcontrolling the elevator, while at the same-time preventing. .thedooropening an amount which would permit a, person topass intotheolovatorshaft. hen the car is at the floor, the door can heopcned.When the car is in any position the door may be opeuedfrom the insideonly provided pressureis applied to the controlling member 12. The doorautomatically closes and is locked asthc car leaves thefioor. floor, thedoor is automatically detained in: an open position but can be unlocked.to close the door.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with an elevator shaft havingadoor opening and a doorfor:clo.sing sa-idvopening having a tendencvto move tolclosed position,of. a detaining-device for holding the door open, a locking device forpreventing the complete opening of the door, and a commoncontrollinganeansufor the detaining :device and the locking devicecontrolledd'iy an elevator. movablezin. the shaft.

2. :A door controllingmeans for an elevator. shaft comprising acontrolling member having two converging portions, one of which :isengaged by an elevator when moved in one direction and the other ofwhich isengaged by. an elevator in moving in the other direction,apivotally mounted locking- .member for holding the :door against.complete opening movement 1 having a, pin. and slot connection with thefree end of the controlling member, a. spring acting on the. controlling-member to move the lockingmember to locking-position, a detainingmember for holding the door in open position, said detaining membenbeing pivoted to the operating member andi a helical spring connected tothe detaining member and to. a fixed part.

3. Controlling means-for elevator doors comprising a movablecontrolling.member having two. converging portions, one engaged-byv the elevator inmoving .in one direction and the other engaged by the ole vator inmoving in the other direction, a locking member controlled by saidcontrolling member for holding the door against complete openingmovementand a detaining member controlled by said controlling member forholding. the door in open position. I

4:. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door opening and adoor for closing said opening having a normal tendency to move to closedposition, of a locking means, a detaining means, a common controller formoving the locking means to unlocking position and the detaining meansto detaining position and vice versa, and two abutments on the door, onesituated to be engaged by the detaining means to hold the door open andthe other situated in a position to be engaged by the locking means topermit a slight opening movement of the door While preventing a completeopening movement of the door, said controlling member being situated insuch a position on the inner side of the door that it cannot be reachedby a person by way of the open ing provided when the door is lockedagainst complete opening movement.

The combination with an elevator shaft having a door opening at a floorintersecting the shaft, and a door for closing said opening having anormal tendency to move to closed position, of a controlling member ingposition when the controlling member is moved against the action of thespring, a detaining member pivoted to the controlling member, a springsecured to a fixed part and to said detaining member to be placed undertension to move the detaining member to detaining position when thecontrolling member is moved against the action of the spring, and twoabutments arranged on the inner side of the door, one for engagement bythe locking member to permit the door to open slightly when thedetaining member is in locked position but to prevent the door fromopening completely and the other for engagement by the detaining memberwhen the door is opened to hold the door in open position.

6. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door opening and adoor closing said opening having a normal tendency to move to closedposition, of a controlling member controlled by an elevator movable inthe shaft, a detaining device for holding the door open, controlled bythe controlling member and movable independently thereof, and anabutment on the door for engagement by said detaining device when thedoor is moved to open position, said abutment having a cam surface whichwill shift the detaining member to permit the door to be opened afterthe detaining device has been moved to detaining position, saiddetaining device being movable manually independently of saidcontrolling member to permit the door to close.

HENRY G. MUTSCHLER.

